Gotham's Hate Child
by ladybadluck
Summary: ON HIATUS A child is born out of bitterness and hate towards the original Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne. Lisa, having been treated with cruelty, comes to Gotham City to find her father whom does not know of her existence. Will he believe her? TerryOC.Not for Dana lovers
1. A Child Born of Bitterness

Okay, short chapter. Read and Review plz. Flames welcome.

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Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or the characters.

Chapter 1: A Child Born of Bitterness

"It's been so long, Selina." Bruce said between kisses. He was now almost 59 and had bumped into his once true love, Selina Kyle. Selina kissed back passionately. She was now 57 and had given up on being the Catwoman. She had 6 kids and 4 ex-husbands.

"Bruce, make love to me." Bruce didn't waist any time. An hour or so later, Selina woke from her forced slumber. She had never counted on seing Bruce Wayne again but now that she had, she would make him pay for breaking her heart. He had reported her to the Gotham Police when she was still the Catwoman. She would hurt him the way he hurt her. She re-packed her suitcase and took the ring Wayne had shown her, the one he was going to propose with almost 29 years ago.

"Goodbye, Brucie." Selina gave his cheek a kiss and left the room, running out of his life once again.

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A girl dressed in cargo pants, an army green shirt, and combat boots sat on the plane to Gotham City. She had black hair and baby blue eyes like her father, or so everyone kept telling her. She looked down at the ring she had taken from her mother not too long ago. It now sat on her right ring finger. The ring had an engraving that said, "My blood, my love." She cherished it because it had once been the ring her father would have proposed with had he not discovered her mother's secret. Her mother was a criminal and would always be one. When he realized thatk, he let her slip away. She couldn't blame him. Out of bitterness and hate, her mother had left her father almost 18 years ago not realizing she was pregnant.

"It shouldn't have happened." Her mother kept saying. She was after all 57 going on 58 when she was born. She looked down at her birth certificate. Under name it had, "Lisa Risky Wayne." Where her mother got Risky from, she didn't know. Under mother and father's names it held the bold print of, "Selina Kyle" and "Bruce Wayne." She was basing her journey on this information. Because she shouldn't have happened, her mother treated her with the same malice she held for her father. That was why she was going to Gotham. Lisa had tracked him to this city. The city he was born in. The city he saved once. Her father was Batman.

Lisa's uncles and aunts had helped her mother piece it together. She just happened to be eavesdropping when they figured it out. Now, after 18 years of her mother's torture and her shunned existence by 1 of her brothers and all 4 of her sisters, she was free. She was going to finish high school close to her father. If he was still alive when she got there. She had an apartment and a job as a waitress lined up already. Her credits were being transferred to Hamilton Hill High School. The only one who treated her good had gotten her all of this. Uncle Harvey or Harvey Dent otherwise known in Gotham as the Two-Face.

The pilot annouced that they were coming into Gotham Airport and the usual "We hope you had a good flight" speech. The plane landed smoothly and she exited when her turn came. Lisa gathered her luggage and was exiting the airport when a sign caught her eye. It stated, "Welcome to Gotham City, Home of the Batman." She smiled at this.

"I'm home," she whispered. She stared at the word "Batman" and whispered to herself, "I'm home, daddy."


	2. Moving Forward

Sorry for the delay. ACT prep is a bitch. Read and Review.

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Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own HP or the characters.

Chapter 2: Moving Forward

Lisa walked in an uncomfortable silence with the counselor to her first class of the day. The man was short and portly with messy brown hair and thick glasses. She followed him down a maze of hallways until they reached a door. The hallways were what had gotten her lost and made her late in the first place. He knocked sharply, obviously annoyed. The door opened revealing a tall, lanky woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a prissy look about her. She walked a little pompously as she exited the classroom.

"What do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Finnigan?" She said in a high-pitched girlish voice that made Lisa cringe.

"You have a new transfer from London. Lisa Wayne. Please assign her a guide." Mr. Finnigan nodded at the blond and walked away. The blond looked at Lisa and gave her a creepy girly smile.

"My name is Mrs. Porterman." She said extremely slowly as if Lisa didn't understand her. "I'm going to be your Language Arts teacher. Do you have any questions or comments?" Lisa was about to roll her eyes. Her mother would do the same thing when she was in trouble.

"I speak English perfectly." Lisa said with a quiet voice. Mrs. Porterman looked at her peculiarly.

"You don't have an accent." She commented. Lisa would have laughed if the way she said it hadn't been so accusatory.

"I only moved to London last year. I wasn't born there." The teacher looked disappointed but Lisa didn't care. She was used to the look.

Mrs. Porterman opened the automatic door and walked in to a strangly barren classroom. There was almost no sign of personality in there unless you counted the students.Most of them looked spoiled and pampered. There were three girls that she could tell she didn't want to be friends with. They were probably popular and didn't like her type anyways. One had black hair and wore a blue dress that was almost like a second skin on her. The other two were blonds though one had white-blond while the other just blond. Both were not paying much attention to anything but their nails or the boys. One boy shouted out at her. He had red hair and wore what looked like a letterman jacket. He blew a kiss her way and roamed her body with his eyes, making her shiver with disgust. The teacher pulled her attention back when she silenced the class.

"Everybody, we have a new student coming to us from London. Liza Wave." Lisa rolled her eyes. This often happened too.

"Lisa Wayne." She corrected. One girl with pink hair and dark skin gave her a sincere smile. Lisa smiled back when two boys caught her eyes.

They could have passed for twin had one not had an eyebrow piercing over his right eye. They both had black hair and baby blue eyes like herself. One wore a black shirt, grey pants and had on a brown jacket. He was the one without the piercing. He looked at her and smiled. Her legs were like jelly after that. The other guy wore a black shirt with black cargo pants and Frye boots. He had not only an eyebrow piercing but also a lip piercing to the opposite side. He reminded her of her best friend, Jared Grayson. He had always told her to get out of her house because of her mother but never took his own advice when it came to his father. The guys before her reminded her of him so much she nearly cried. She would have if the teacher didn't annoy her with that slow voice again.

"You may take a seat at the head of the last row next to Terry. Terry, raise your hand."

She watched as the guy with the brown jacket raised his hand. His every movement seemed to be filled with a grace she'd never seen in a man. She took her seat and didn't look at anyone for the rest of the time they spent in class. The bell rang before she knew it and she was filing out of class when a hand touched her shoulder and she winced slightly. She turned to find the pink haired girl and the two guys she had noticed smiling at her. The girl broke the ice.

"I'm Maxine Gibson. You can call me Max. The teacher caught me just outside of class and asked me to be your guide." Lisa could only nod.

"Don't be shy. This is my best friend, Terry McGinnis and my boyfriend Jared Grayson." Lisa's eyes went wide. It's a small world after all...and getting smaller.

"Jay-bird?" The guy with the piercings looked at her through narrowed eyes before recognition took over him.

"I thought you looked familiar. Max, this is Kitten, the one I told you about." Max's mouth opened in awe.

"The Kitten? Alright! This just makes it easier." Lisa looked at Jay oddly. He smiled and shrugged but before he could answer, Terry picked up on the silent question and answered for him.

"Jared told us about his father's treatment. You know, the abuse. He said it was your words that convinced him to get out of there." Lisa smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Both of them had broken free.

"Oh, You too huh?" She smiled up at Jared and it was his turn to be shocked.

"You left? You left her house? Kitten! I'm so proud of you!" He hugged her warmly and she hugged back, on the verge of tears. Terry was the one who noticed and wiped one away, smiling.

"Both of you were in that situation? Damn. Just goes to show our society needs improving." Lisa nodded in agreement.

"Lisa wasn't a victim of the physical abuse. It was more emotional and psychological than anything else." Jared commented. Lisa was inclined to agree. She remembered the horrible scars on Jay's body the last time she saw him. She didn't have any like that. Well, with the exception of the bruise on her shoulder where her brother had gripped her as she was trying to leave. Max seemed to read her thoughts.

"They probably laid a hand on you when you left though." Lisa smiled sadly. She didn't like talking about her family. She was a mistake. She wasn't smart or pretty. Guys only wanted to date her because she had skirts and a rack, remembering her mother's words. Terry put and arm around her.

"Don't waste time looking back on the past. The only thing to do now is move forward." Lisa leaned into his one sided hug enough to be comfortable. Terry pulled her closer and she didn't protest. To hell with her mother, she would enjoy any attention she got from this guy. He was right. She should move forward, soon. She thought about the book of memories she had in her unpacked apartment. She would go to him sometime this weekend. If she had that long. Lisa spent the rest of her day with her old friend and two new ones. For now, she was safe.


	3. The Truth

Thank you to all who reviewed! Next Chappie! Read and Review plz!

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Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or the characters.

Chapter 3: The Truth

Lisa stood in front of a house that could pass for Dracula's lair. It took her a train ride and two cabs to get to this address but she hadn't minded so much until she thought she was lost. The cabbie had taken off right after she got out of the cab so she had no way to get back. She had left the apartment after work with only her memory book and birth certificate believing she was going to meet her father. Now, she was stuck in Transylvania with who knows what inside that creepy house.

Lisa was shaken out of her thoughts when a large black and brown dog came out of no where and jumped on the gate. She gave a little scream when that happened and a single light came on in the house. She watched as the front door flung open and a dark figure came running out of the house and to the gate. Panicking, Lisa ran for cover under the shrubs and trees surrounding the gate. The figure came to the gate and looked around. It was tall with broad shoulders indicating it was a man.

"What is it, Ace? Did you see something, boy?" He had a sweet voice, kinda like Terry's. The dog growled in her direction and she crouched lower, too afraid to introduce herself. The figure left, practically dragging the dog with him. A moment later, a red motorcycle with the guy on it came speeding out of the gate and down the road. She had to be at the wrong address. She was about to walk away when a voice, stern and menacing came out of the speaker box.

"What are you doing here?" The voice startled her into yelping. She looked around to see all the lights off in the house.

"I think I'm at the wrong address. I'm looking for Mr. Wayne. Bruce Wayne." She said hesitantly to the speaker box.

"You're at the right address. Who are you and what do you want?" Lisa bit her lower lip.

"Does the name Selina Kyle mean anything to you?"

Everything seemed to go quiet for a moment before the gate opened. Lisa walked up the path to the house, doubt creeping into her gut. The door opened and an old man in black with a wooden cane stood there. He called off the dog behind him and stepped aside. Lisa entered the building feeling like she'd entered Dracula's lair once again.

"Explain yourself." He said simply. He narrowed his eyes, sizing her up.

"What do you want to know?" Her intelligence deserted her.

"You mentioned Selina and you were the one wanting to talk to me. Explain." Lisa bit her lip so he motioned for her to enter what looked like a living room. He sat in an armchair while she took the sofa by the fire. She pulled out the memory book that now held her birth certificate and handed it to him.

"This should explain everything." He took it from her but didn't open it.

"I'd like an explanation first. Why are you here?"

"I came to give you that and talk to you about what it means." He raised an eyebrow.

"What is in this book?" He inclined his head to the object she handed him.

"Pardon me but you could just open it and find out. The first page should explain everything." He nodded and opened the book on a large oak coffee table in between her and him. He looked at her in annoyance.

"A birth certificate? Just tell me what you want."

"Look at the names. Parent's names." His brow furrowed as he looked back at the old folded document. His eyes widened as he found the reason she was here.

"This can't be true. Selina was too old to have a child. It's impossible." Lisa chuckled sadly.

"Believe me, it's possible. I'm living proof." He sat back in his chair, in shock.

"When did you know I was your father?"

"All my life. Mom kept telling me I was 'just like that damn man.'" He looked up at her when she said this.

"'That damn man?' That's a lovely way to be remembered. She must have really hated me." He chuckled slightly but she just looked away.

"What's the matter?" Lisa bit her lip.

"Mom never treated me good. She was really cruel because I was like you. She made me bleach my hair blond and wear green color contacts. She always put me down even if I was the best at anything. I wanted to find you sooner but the laws in the European countries aren't as liberal as those here in America. I had to wait until I was 18."

The tears rolled down her cheeks freely though she tried to stop the sobs. An arm went around her shoulder and she looked up into the aged eyes that mirrored hers in color. She cried into his chest, letting out all her pain and sorrow she had suffered every year she had lived in his house. His hand closed around hers and lifted it. Lisa looked up to see him staring at the ring he would have given her mother.

"This is…"

"Mom's engagement ring. She told me she stole it along with your heart the night she got pregnant with me. I took it from her because it meant that you had once loved her and she had loved in return." He kissed her hand and cradled her against his chest.

"You left that life behind. Did your mother tell you I was difficult to convince?" Lisa nodded.

"Impossible, actually." He smiled down at her.

"Tomorrow, I'll call my doctor to do a blood test. We'll see is she wasn't just being cruel to you." Lisa looked at him skeptically.

"But you're Batman. I thought you could do it in your lab." He raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know?" She shrugged.

"My aunts, uncles and mother figured it out one day when they were all complaining that Batman stopped them in their prime. I was eavesdropping." He chuckled.

"I guess we could go down to the cave." He got up and she followed him to a clock in a room across the hall. She didn't see what he did but a passage opened and she followed a little more closely down to the vast cave filled with trinkets of his past. He sat in front of a computer and typed in something.

"Hold out your arm." She did as she was told and he drew a small amount of blood. He did the same to himself and inserted it into the computer.

"How long will it take?"

"A few minutes."

Lisa sat on the floor by her father's side and laid her head on his thigh. He stroked her hair lovingly. She was already drifting to sleep when the computer displayed the results. She heard him say something but she didn't hear what he said as oblivion welcomed her. Exhaustion did not allow her to hear the happy news.

"It's true."


	4. Bonding

Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or the characters.

Chapter 4: Bonding

Lisa woke in something soft the next day. She sat up and examined her surroundings. She was in a large, four-poster bed with red silk sheets. Around her was nothing but cloth covered furniture though it looked like someone had attempted to dust. Only one other piece was uncovered. It was a large, Dark Cherry vanity with her memory book set on it. Lisa bit her lip trying to recall what happened last night until she looked over at the clock and squeeled. She was late for work! She dashed out of bed and flung open the door only to run into something solid and nearly fall. A hand circled her wrist and pulled her back onto her feet. She looked up into some familiar baby blues.

"Terry!" The guy of her dreams stood in front of her, craddling her close to him with a worried expression on his face.

"I heard a scream. Are you alright?" That brought her back into reality.

"I'm late for work!" She tried to wringle out of his arms but when he wouldn't let go she gave him a pouty face that made not only him laugh but another familiar voice down the hall laugh. She turned to see her father standing at the top of the stairs.

"I called in for you. You don't have to work today." He kept a smirk on his face as she gave both of them glares. Terry was the only one that flinched.

"Jeez, you two are related. You even glare the same. It's kinda freaky." Lisa gave Terry a confused look before turning her attention to her father and back again.

"Uh, Wayne told me everything when I came in to work this morning. So, you were the one Ace was barking at last night." She ducked her head at the last part and received a growl from the dog. She only growled back which made Terry and her father laugh again.

"Come downstairs. We need to talk some more after you've freshened up. Terry." Her father headed down stairs.

"Uh, your dad had me run to your apartment and gather some things for you. I think he wants to keep you here for a few days. I hope you don't mind." Lisa turned around to a blushing Terry. It was then that she noticed he held a bag in his right hand.

"Just what did he have you bring?" She said playfully. Terry seemed to loosen up a little but not by much. Just what had her father said to him?

"The usual. Clothes, toiletries, etc." At 'toiletries' he blushed even redder. He must have gotten into her tampons and underwear. Lisa couldn't help but laugh even though it was embarrassing for her. Terry gave her an exhasperated look.

"What's so funny?" Lisa laughed even harder at his annoyed look.

"Your face is! The way you looked just now was just too funny!" Terry rolled his eyes playfully and pulled her back into the room she woke up in.

"Your dad is having me clean this place out later but the bathroom is clean. There are towels if you want to take a shower. I suggest you do." Terry made the last remark with a smirk on his face and shut the door quickly to avoid the shoe that came flying at his face. Lisa, in better spirits, went straight into the largest bathroom she had ever been in. She took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a red t-shirt before going downstairs. She found her father and Terry in a serious conversation in the living room she had been in last night. Even in daylight the place looked omonous. Ace alerted them to her presence.

"I need a dog like that." Lisa said as she bent down to pet the dog.

"Funny, I would have thought you'd like cats. Your mother always did." Lisa cringed.

"That's why I prefer dogs. They can chase that damn cat of her away from me. She never went anywhere without that stupid thing." Lisa spat bitterly. Terry looked mildly shocked but her father didn't even flinch.

"What did your mother say when she found out you were leaving?" Her father asked.

"She didn't say anything because she wasn't there. My brother walked in to find my bags packed. He tried to stop me. I suppose she found out through him." Her father only nodded. It was Terry's turn to speak up.

"Did he hurt you? When he tried to stop you? Is that why you flinched when I caught your shoulder a few days ago?" Lisa only bit her lip. Her father nodded again. Apparently, she didn't need to say anything.

"You said you weren't treated well when you lived with her. How?" Lisa kept her eyes on the dog when she answered. Her nervousness must have been obvious because the dog started whining and her father moved to put his hand on her shoulder. But she stopped him with her words.

"Mom made me bleach my hair until it was as blond as hers. I had to wear green contacts because my eyes reminded her of you. She wouldn't feed me if I pissed her off sometimes. She always insulted me, even when I was little. She used to pretend I wasn't there when people would comment on how cute I was. She stopped taking me out with her when guys started asking me out. She said I wasn't pretty and that I didn't deserve to be called such a thing. I would get straight A's in school but she would ask for the percentage. When it came back to be 100, she would tell me that "it wasn't 105." So I tried harder but she would raise the stakes higher so I couldn't reach them. Finally, when I saw what she used to get in school, I told her she couldn't criticize my grades because hers weren't all that good. That's when she locked me in the basement for two days."

Lisa kept her eyes trained on the dog that was now licking her hand as she cried. She saw Terry shift uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye. No sound came from anywhere in the room except the dog whining. She heard the moving of cloth and found herself once again in the arms of her father. She nestled into them when she felt Terry's hand on her shoulder. She felt rather than saw the encouraging smile on his face.

"You'll never be treated like that here. Here, you are my daughter and you are safe. I'd like you to stay with me for a while. Would you like that? To get to know one another." Lisa nodded, burying her face in his chest.

"It been a long time," her father continued, "since I've had family. I've always regretted not having children of my own. But now, I have you. And that's all that matters." Lisa bit her lip. How was she going to tell him he had a son? And that he was the one that tried to stop her from seeing their father? She was saved from her dilemma when Terry piped up.

"I don't mean to break this family bonding moment but what about Batman?"

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What do you think? Read and Review plz. 


	5. Later

Thank you all who reviewed. Sorry it took so long! Here it is.

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Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or the characters.

Chapter 5: Later

"No," a deep male voice said.

"Why not?" Came a young female voice.

"Because I said so," the male voice retorted.

"Like that makes a difference," came the sarcastic female voice.

"It does because I'm your father," the male voice raised an octave.

"May I intergect?" A younger male voice piped up.

"No!" Both voices cried.

Terry sat at the bat computer watching Lisa and her father go at it. He had brought up the Batman subject earlier that day and they hadn't stopped bickering since. Even the dog was annoyed. Ace lay next to the chair Bruce usually sat in with his paws over his ears. With the shouting coming from the case displays, it wasn't likely to end soon. Terry let out an exhasperated sigh and sat back rubbing his eyes to give himself something to do. Lisa had taken away his suit so he couldn't go out just yet. He looked back over at the bickering relatives and saw Lisa brandishing his suit like a weapon. The argument was haulted by the entrance of the former Batgirl.

"Did I miss something or did he wrangle in another stray?" Both relatives glared in her direction.

"You know I didn't wrangle in any of you. You came to me."

"You should have talked us out of it." Barbara was standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

"He is trying to talk her out of it." Terry piped up, leaning back against the chair, thoroughly bored of the bickering. Barb's jaw dropped.

"He's not!"

"I am and you could direct your question at me. I am standing right here."

"What, so you could avoid my question?" Bruce rolled his eyes and turned to face his daughter but before he could retort, Barb spoke.

"Okay...what's your story?" She was leaning against the console waiting for a response. Lisa turned in her direction and gave her a glare that could kill.

"Who the hell are you?" Terry rolled his eyes. **That** was a _real _good idea, pissing off the Commissioner.

"First of all, don't talk to me that way. Secondly, who the hell are **you**?" Lisa glared harder.

"I asked first."

"What are you, five?"

"She's my daughter, Barb. Lisa, this is Commissioner Barbara Gordon, the old Batgirl. Barb, this is my daughter, Lisa Wayne."

"Good, now that that's settled, dad-"

"NO!"

"But-"

"You heard me, Lisa. My answer is final." Lisa nodded, looked over at Terry before running out of the cave. Wayne grunted in Terry's direction and he stood so Bruce could take his seat.

"What was that about?" Barb was standing looking utterly shocked.

"Lisa wanted to take up the Batgirl role. I wouldn't allow it."

"And what made you talk her out of it and not the rest of us."

"She's my blood."

"Oh, that makes sense." They sat in silence for only a second.

"What are you waiting for? Suit up." Wayne said rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"I can't. Your daughter has my...oh shit." Both seniors looked up at him. He gave them his 'duh' look.

"She has the suit." Bruce's eyes widened to saucers. He got up quickly and moved faster to the elevator than Terry had seen him move in a long time. Terry and Barbara both ran for the stairs and up into the house. Bruce was already halfway up the staircase leading to the bedrooms. Terry ran past him and straight into Lisa's room, but it was empty save for the clothes she had been wearing minutes earlier.

"She's gone. She's in the suit." He called out into the hallway. He went back out to find Bruce looking crestfallen and Barbara panting slightly. Bruce punched the railing with a grunt and walked a little more briskly than before back down to the cave. When Barb gave him a questioning look, Terry said.

"The suit has a disable mechanism that freezes the suit. He can stop her one way or another." At the skeptical look on her face he added, "He nearly stopped me. Nearly." They went back downstairs but Bruce looked even more pissed off than before.

"What happened?" Barbara asked, but she didn't sound surprised.

"She was thorough."

"Of course." When Bruce shot her a 'don't go there look', she laughed. "She's _your_ daughter."

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Lisa flew kind of awkwardly over the city. She hadn't really planned to steal the suit (honestly! ;P) but when it was still in her hands, the thought just kind of came to her. She landed on the sign signaling it was her father's company. She overlooked the city, testing every feature while she sat there. She was busy testing the different view features when her father's voice broke into her ear.

"Nice going, Lisa. Very thoroughly done. Impressive. Now bring back the suit and I'll consider letting you train with Terry."

"Right. Nice try. Impressive. Now, could you get off the com-link?"

"Damn," Terry's voice broke in, "She is your daughter. Sarcastic, blunt, agressive. Oh yeah, she's your kid."

"Shut up, Ter. You're not making things easier."

"I will in a minute."

"When you ladies are done chatting, maybe you could shut off the com-link or just shut up all together." At that moment, the Batmobile flew in behind her and a masked Terry came and sat next to her.

"Okay, but you still have to come with me."

"No I don't." Lisa took that time to fall off the roof and engage the rocket boots. She watched Terry run back to the jet. It would do her no good to hide, her father would no doubt have a tracking device on the suit. She had only disabled the little button that was labeled "Suit Disable" when she had gone down the cave after putting on the suit. She had gone down there to taught her father on how good it fit her but when she saw that, she just destroyed it and went on her way. She should have stolen the car.

Terry caught up the her in no time and with the door open, grabbed her around the middle and pulled her into his lap. "Got her." He said out loud. Lisa squirmed a little but Terry only tightened his grip on her. She laid her head back against his shoulder and let him pull off the mask. She was leaning her face against his neck when she felt his head turn in her direction. She looked up into his now unmasked eyes. He licked his lips and she bit hers out of nerves.

Lisa leaned up into him and felt his lips touch down on hers. His lips were soft. She didn't know they could be that soft. Lisa felt his tongue slip against her lips and she parted them for him. They were battling for dominance when her father's voice cut in. "Enjoying yourselves?" Lisa and Terry pulled apart, blushing in opposite directions.

"Do you have cameras in the Batmobile, too?" Lisa said a littl bitterly.

"No, I guessed. Apparantly I was right." Lisa watched Terry blush a crimson color as they landed in the Batcave. Her father sat behind the computer looking a cross between annoyed and amused. Lisa walked briskly over to him while Terry kind of hung back a little, shuffling his feet. Bruce laid out tools, trying to fix the broken Disable button.

"Now what?" Lisa asked pointlessly.

"Now you give Terry back the suit so he can do his rounds. You're going to go upstairs, take a shower, and go to bed. Then tomorrow we'll talk some more. Okay? Goodnight." Lisa rolled her eyes but complied. As she was walking up the steps of the cave she turned back to find her father and Barbara emersed in conversation but Terry looking up at her. She smiled and mouthed the words "Later" before walking out of the cave. Terry bit his lip, smiling. They would finish what they started later.

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What do you think? Read and Review plz! 


	6. Understanding

Gotham's Hate Child

Chapter 6: Understanding

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or any of the characters. Lisa and Jared are mine though.

A/N: I know it's been 3 years since I updated this story but I thank all of my faithful readers. Giving up never solves the problem. BTW, I'm ignoring the JLU episode Epilouge. In this story, Terry is not Bruce's son. On with the story!

Lisa stood in the kitchen at Haley's Diner nibbling on a piece of french toast while waiting for her next order to be up. With everything that happened the past week, she was really not in the mood to be at work. She stared absentmindedly at the cook flipping pancakes while thinking about the most recent conversation with her father.

Flashback

"My answer is final, kid." Lisa flinched at the word. He never called her that unless he wanted to emphasize a point.

"But dad," she began feeling the anger expanding like a bubble. "You know I'm just as good as Terry is! Why are you training me if you don't plan on letting me help!" Bruce shot her an even glare.

"Because, I want you to know how to defend yourself. You need to know these things. Terry can't always be there to protect you and you know it."

The conversation was clearly over when he turned back around to type on his computer. Lisa looked at Terry for support but that was unhelpful. He shrugged and mouthed, "Drop it."

End flashback

Of course Terry wouldn't be helpful. He was just as protective of her though he would never admit that to her face. With a sigh, Lisa picked up her order and brought it to her customers flashing a winning smile at the couple and a quick "Enjoy your meal," before turning away. Her job was a constant subject of disapproval from her father. He wanted her to work at Wayne Enterprises to keep a better eye on her seeing as she was unwilling to give up on not working. She had tossed that notion out the window every time he or Terry brought it up. Instead, Bruce kept sending someone to 'babysit' her.

Lisa looked over at the form of her new friend Max. The pink haired girl wasn't quite as annoying as Jay-bird or Terry when she was there. She was sitting at the counter on one of the worn out stools nursing a cup of coffee and reading a book. Max, feeling her gaze, looked up at Lisa and flashed a grin. Lisa returned it before a new set of customers sat down in her section. She groaned. Commissioner Gordon and Terry sat at a booth looking expectantly at easy smile played across Terry's face. Lisa had to remeber how to breath.

Scowling, she walked as slowly as humanly possible to their table. How could this guy be so impossibly attractive? It wasn't fair. Nothing had happened between the two of them since that first kiss. She reached the table and pushed the thought from her mind. A different thought wound itself in it's place and she grinned inwardly.

"Hey there!" She said in her best fake happy-go-lucky voice. She watched Terry raise an eyebrow."My name is Lisa. I'll be your server today. Can I start you all off with something to drink?" Gordon's eyebrows knit together quite well.

"You pretending not to know us?" The older lady asked. Lisa continued to smile.

"I'm not sure what you mean, ma'am." Lisa let the pretense fall for minute for the two of them to see the evil smirk cross her face before schooling her features to match the sickly sweet voice she put on. "Is there anything I can get you to drink or are you ready to order?"

"Coffee," Terry stated simply before turning back to the commissioner. Inside, Lisa growled. So, he was going to fight fire with fire huh? _'Let the best woman win,'_ her mind thought sarcastically. Lisa turned to the commissioner who ordered the same.

"I'll be right back with that for you! In the meantime, feel free to take a look at our menu. The meatloaf is on special today!" Lisa inwardly shuddered. No one ever ate the meatloaf and lived to tell the tale. As she walked around the counter, Max flashed her another grin having caught the conversation and snickered under her breath. They shared a conspiritorial look before Lisa grabbed the pot of coffee and two mugs. Another thought crossed her mind and the evil grin was back in place which she let Max see. The other girl understood the look and stuffed her fist in her mouth before the laughter could consume her. Terry was going to regret checking up on her like this.

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"Dad! I'm home!" She called to the vampire's lair her father called a mansion. Even with Lisa spending every moment she could spare trying to make the house fit for human habitation, her father had his taste in colors and furnishing that left the place looking even more like a house fit for vampires rather than a multi-billionaire with a teenage daughter. 'We should put up a sign that reads UNDEAD WELCOME over the front door.'

Ace came to greet her as he did most days. The dog had warmed up to her instantly after their first meeting. He followed her into the living room where she was greeted by a stern look from Bruce, an annoyed expression from Barbara, and a martyred look from Terry. She flashed an innocent smile before dropping her bag and coming to kiss her father on the forhead. She plopped down on the armchair away from the others and laid her head against the back of the chair, closing her eyes. _'One aggitated bat, two aggitated bats, three aggitated bats,'_ she counted in her head before her father began the onslaught.

"I understand that you dumped a pot of coffee on Barbara at work today," he practically growled. Lisa sat there, eyes still closed, head resting on the back of the chair. She let her hand drop to pet Ace but otherwise made no move to answer. It wasn't a question, really. More a statement but she could sense his anger and that empowered her.

"You also knocked over the syrup into Terry's lap." A small smile crept onto her face. Bruce growled.

"Explain yourself," he stated. She imagined the way his eyes would flash and her smile grew. "I was just a little uncoordinated today." She shrugged one shoulder and waved a hand as if to dismiss the subject. Bruce growled even louder almost hiding Barbara's scoff. Almost.

"Bullshit. You did it on purpose and I want to know why." Lisa turned her head just enough for Bruce to see both of her eyes. She leveled a glare but let him see the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "That's what they get for checking up on me." She stood up and strolled out of the room, Ace following on her heels. She heard her father mutter something that sounded like 'Traitor' as he watched her and his dog leave.

Up in her room (an idea she still wasn't totally comfortable with), she sat at the desk that had been uncovered and dusted for her the past week by Terry and turned on the laptop that Bruce let her have. She waited as the ancient computer wheezed to life, tapping one slender finger impatiently. Ace jumped on her bed and curled up at the foot, laying his massive head on his paws but watching her none the less.

Somebody knocked on her door but she ignored it. Clicking on the internet instead, she continued to watch the screen before another knock sounded at her door. She ingnored it again before the door opened. Terry, with his broad shoulders and 6 foot frame, filled the doorway with his arms crossed. The look he shot her was both annoyed and appraising. He walked into the room with more grace than any man that built should have and plopped down on her bed next to Ace. He folded his hands in front of him and took a breath. She knew he was going to berate her for her attitude lately but she couldn't get over the fact that a very attractive guy was in her room, waiting on her bed.

"You should ease up on the old man, you know. He's just trying to protect you." Lisa didn't turn to look at him. Terry sighed. "Give him a break, Lisa. He's not good at this sort of thing," He continued despite being ignored. It was true. After that first day with him, he had grown kind of cold towards her, less tolerant. She supposed that his display of affection that first day was due more to shock than anything else but she couldn't help feeling a little stung by his attitude.

"Lisa," Terry started again but she cut him off.

"I know, Terry. I know he worries about me and he means well but don't you think he's going a little overboard?" It was quiet for a minute and she thought he was going to agree with her but his answer surprised her.

"No, I don't. After what you said happened with your mother and your brother, how can you expect him to act differently? He's trying, Lisa. He wants to keep you safe. He loves you; anyone can see that. He's just not sure how to express it. The only way he knows how is to protect you. Please understand."

This time Lisa turned to look at him. Terry sat there gazing at her. His expression was unfathomable. Somewhere between pleading and sadness. Like there was something he knew but she didn't. It unnerved her. She didn't like him looking so weak. Without thinking, she stood up and crossed the room, kneeling at Terry's feet. She placed her hands on his knees and looked in his eyes, trying to see what it was he was not telling her. His expression softened a little and he cupped her cheek.

"Does that mean you understand, Lisa?" He asked after a minute. She leaned into his palm, placing one of her small hands over his larger one. Meeting his eyes once again, she answered, "No, but I'll try." He gave her a dazzling smile though the earlier emotions were still present in it. Her smile was just as tenative.

Terry leaned down a little, judging her reaction. When she didn't protest, he kissed her. It was slow and lazy. Careful. All to soon, he pulled away and smiled at her. This time it was closer to the martyred expression he wore in the living room. Lisa cocked and eyebrow.

"Your dad said that it was a little early for him to have his daughter persued by a guy. I'm not supposed to be with you like this. Not yet, at least." The sheepish look on his face said it all. He glanced toward the door and then back at her as if checking to make sure her dad wasn't watching. She sighed.

"Fine, but he's going to have to accept it sooner or later."


	7. Complications

Gotham's Hate Child

Chapter 7: Complications

A/N: Hey guys, thought you all deserved more than one chapter update! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or it's characters. Kitty and Jay-bird are mine though! Mine, mine all MINE! Mwahahahahaha! *cough* Okay, to the story!

He gazed out the window of the jet. His blue green eyes reflected back at him as he watched the clouds pass the window. He glowered at them. This trip was not purely social. He had a job to do. If he was going to succeed, he needed to resort to ugly measures. He turned away from the window and his reflection to look at the woman sitting next to him. Her fair blond hair he had know in his youth had faded to a dull gray. Though she was still beautiful, the lines on her face, accenuated by her frown, told her age. She looked over at him, the accusation still in her eyes.

She blamed him for the mess they were in. After all, he had been the one that was unsuccessful in stopping the unstopable force that his sister had become. His mother had not been worried like any other mother should. She told him to find him. No, not told....ordered. He had failed her miserably. The girl had slipped away. Fallen right through the cracks and disappeared. It wasn't until he had told his mother the news that she got even more aggitated with him and stated where she knew the girl was likely to go. She then thought him incompitent and insisted on coming with him though it was dangerous for her to go back to that place.

It was where HE was. She hated him because she loved him. There was no other explanation. She loved him but he had broken her heart. She still loved him. And she hated every minute of it.

"We're almost there," she said quietly. It was then he realized he was staring and turned to look out the window again.

"Yes, mom."

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Lisa drug her feet down the hallway. It was another boring day at school. Mr. Varner, the math teacher, had called on her several time for the answer though she never raised her hand. She had gotten every one of them right but it was still annoying. If it wasn't bad enough, when she handed in her assignment for the day, he had openly oggled her chest and even licked his lips. Disgusted, she all but bolted out the door the instant the bell rang.

Now, with all of her energy spent trying to avoid the lude teacher, she was starting to lag. Lunch period was always too long for her tastes. Who the hell needed an hour to eat? Sure, it was nice to chat with friends but let's face it. This is high school! With using computers in every class, it was almost too easy to pass notes or e-mails in this case, and keep up the conversations. Max and Jared always sat together and whenever they could, they would shoot lovey dovey looks at each other. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had to listen to them go all gooey when they thought no one was listening. Terry was usually out of school; busy being Batman all day long. It was a miracle he made it to senior year. Needless to say, Lisa always found herself alone during lunch.

With nothing else to distract her, she thought about Terry. It had been another long week since he kissed her after her little bout of rebellion at the diner and the conversation that had ensued afterwards. True to her word, she tried her best to see things from her dad's point of view. She still refused to work at the company but other than that ignored her baby sitters during work. Besides, when Terry was sent to watch her, they shared meaningful looks and blushing glances. Terry was attracted to her but though he had confessed that to her, he was still respectful of her father's wishes, whom was still uneasy about Lisa dating.

Things with Terry were'nt as closed off as before. He refused to kiss her but when they walked together in the hallways, he always held her hand. At lunch or when she payed a visit to her locker, he would play with her hair. She suffered from a few glares from Terry's ex, Dana, but didn't pay any attention to the girl. Lisa didn't know what the story was because any time she asked, Terry got upset and changed the subject. A clear case of sour grapes.

With a sigh, she brushed her fingers through her long dark hair and continued to wander the halls of the 'institution' as she liked to call it, not really paying attention to where she was going. Bored with her explorations, Lisa looked up to find out where she was when a sudden blow to her right shoulder sent her stumbling right into a door. The door swung open inwardly to ubsorb the blow but did not help her maintain her balance as she fell into a set of arms that immediately set her back in the opposite direction. Before she could hit the person that stood in front of the door, Lisa regained her balance and took on a defensive stance, taking in her surroundings.

She had been shoved into a girl's bathroom though it what hallway she was unsure. The stalls stood behind her, their doors swung open. The mirrors had been scratched so bad and scrawled with obscene words about other girls that it would be hard for anyone to find their reflection, let alone recognize themselves. Toilet paper and random trash littered the floor, not totally covering the ruined tiles. This was all insignificant. From the training her father gave her, it took her less than thirty seconds to take in all of this. Her focus snapped up to the shrill laughter of her attackers.

Chelsea Cunningham, with her blond hair and usually ditzy attitude, stood by the bathroom door, one hand on her hip and the other dangling loosely at her side. Blade Summer, platinum blond airhead with a miniskirt and heels, placed herself on Lisa's left, opposite Chelsea, a glare on her normally uninterested face. Her hands balled up into fists when Lisa's eyes met her. Two girls were behind Lisa, though their names were unknown, she recognized them from the cheerleading squad. Another girl faced Lisa, tensed like Lisa, her vivid red hair emphasized the scowl and flush of anger on her face. Then Lisa spotted their obvious leader.

Dana.

She stood safely away from Lisa, behind her little friends leaned almost casually against one of the battered and worn sinks. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, pushing up her already overly exposed breasts over the top of her customary blue dress. A smug smile was evident on her lips. Lisa gritted her teeth involutarily. Whatever this girl had planned, it would most likely not be good for Lisa's health.

"So," Dana began, speaking slowly like the English teacher from Lisa's first day had, as if Lisa had a learning disability. "You're the whore that wants to take what's mine." Her lips twisted around the last word, her teeth flashing. Lisa understood in an instant. Her mind only needed to bring one word to mind.

Terry.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Lisa said casually. Playing it dumb was her first strategy. Avoiding a fight was the priority here. Dana practically growled at her. The move was not as intimidating as the ones Bruce threw at her. And even less threatening than Barbara's.

"Don't play stupid! You do that well enough without trying." Dana's sneer complimenting her words. Bright red pulsed Lisa's vision. No one questioned her intelligence. She'd taken 18 years of that crap from her mother, she was not about to take it from a stranger ex-girlfriend whose only motivation was jealousy.

"Really? I thought you were the one with the mental disfunction? It's obvious just by looking at you." _Sarcasm, great job, genius_ - her mind quipped. Lisa ignored the little voice. Dana flushed in anger.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed. The sound reverberated off the walls, making Lisa wince from the onslaught to her ears. This seemed to give her group some motivation. The girls around her closed in a little but made no move to attack. Blade looked to Dana, obviously waiting for the command but Dana shook her head and squared her shoulders.

The glare she sent Lisa would have been unnerving to anyone else, but she was no Bruce. Even Terry's glares, though never directed at her, held more venom and ice. Lisa moved out of her defensive crouch and exuded as much confidence as she could. If she could make these girls see that she wasn't afraid of them, maybe they would back down. As it was, the brunette behind her glanced at her partner then briefly at Dana warily before refocusing her attention on Lisa. Lisa's easy stance took them a little off guard but not enough for Lisa to totally relax. Dana didn't falter in the least. She shook her head again at Blade and took a confident step forward, followed by another, until she was in Lisa's face. In heels, Dana was definately taller. Lisa glanced up sideways at her, showing that she was unintimidated by the girl. It didn't stop Dana from leaning down until her lips were so close to Lisa's ear that she could swear she felt the skin flutter against her ear as Dana spoke.

"You WILL stay away from Terry. He's mine. There's nothing in the world a whore like you could offer him that I couldn't give him better." She smiled like it would hurt her. Lisa just raised the one eyebrow the girl could see. It was really too easy to twist the girl's words against her.

"Did I hear you correctly? Or was it my imagination that you called yourself a whore?" Dana flashed her teeth again but Lisa just continued. "I hope Terry didn't pay you for any of whatever you did to him. It would have been a waste of perfectly good money." This time Dana really did growl. Lisa turned her head a fraction so the girl could see her whole face and the smirk spreading quickly into an evil smile. Unfazed, Lisa continued the jibe. "Then again, if he didn't pay you, that would make you a dumb whore, wouldn't it? And cheap too!"

That one earned her a sharp smack across her right cheek. Pain exploded around her eye, but only a small portion of her brain registered the pain. The rest of her focus was on the furious witch standing with a perfect opening. With one swift movement, as her body was reflectivly turning into the direction the slap had sent her, Lisa brought up her knee and felt it connect with the soft tissue of Dana's side. The gasp of pain gave Lisa a shock of satisfaction before she spun back the opposite direction and collided the heel of her left palm against Dana's sternum, sending the girl dancing backwards almost a good meter.

The other girls reacted in a flash. The red head reached Lisa first, her fist clenched and aimed at Lisa's face. She blocked it effortlessly, her small hand barely encircling the other's. Reaching around to grab the girl's wrist, Lisa shifted her body until she had a shoulder against the red head's abdomen. She heaved and the girl was airborne, crashing into the two brunetted that had been rushing Lisa's back. They landed with a loud bang against the bathroom stalls, the plastic shuddering and groaning from the impact.

The victory was short lived. What felt like the heel of a shoe dug into her back, kicking her into Blade's waiting fist. A solid blow to her stomach and she was out of breath. Ingoring her basic instict to catch her breath first, Lisa reacted. Grabbing the girl around the waist and twirling her until she hit Chelsea. Then, she was running. Tackling the girls into the tiled was behind them.

*crack* *crunch*

The sickening sound of bone and flesh colliding with tile was mixed with the screams that echoed from both girls around the enclosed area. Lisa straightened up, gasping for breath, letting the two friends slide to the floor. Chelsea was unconscious and Blade attempting to regain her breath as Lisa was. In her moment of weakness, Lisa had totally forgotten about the most evident danger and let her guard down.

Fingers curling into her hair, Dana yanked hard and sent Lisa to the floor. Landing hard on her side with her elbow braced under her to absorb the fall, the breath Lisa'd been trying to catch was knocked from her again. A silent crack alerted her to a break. Then Dana was on her. Pounced on her like a wild cat on it's prey. Dana had her fingers curled to resemble claws. With a swipe to her face, there was pain. Lisa could feel the tear somewhere near her left ear coming across to her cheek. But that was all she had time for as she felt the other girl take another swipe at her this time raking her nails across Lisa's forehead.

The pain should have been enough to pause her but survival insticts kicked in. Rocketing her body forward, she pushed Dana backwards until the other girl's shoulders were smacked into the dismal tile on the floor. Lisa pulled her hand back and snapped it forward with as much force as she could muster. Her fist connected effortlessly with Dana's nose. She felt the hardened cartilage give way and split. Blood gushed from break and bruises started to form around the lower part of Dana's eyes as they watered from the pain.

Lisa had no time to regain her composure before there were a strong set of arms wrapping themselves under her armpits and then back behind her head, pinning her arms wide. Fingers were clasped behind her neck, too big to be a woman's. Lisa struggled, trying desperatly to free herself before another attack. It wasn't until a soothing voice, deep and husky, broke her consentration.

"Lisa, it's Terry. Stop fighting." Lisa froze. He sounded both concerned and angry. His voice was full of authority. The deeper tone to it was one she recognized. It was to voice he put on anytime he was in the suit. Used to intimidate criminals. It was BATMAN's voice. She let herself breath, consentrating on moving air in and out of her lungs. The last of the adrenaline rush was fading and she could feel the injuries from the fight begin to take the forefront of her mind. Slowly, as if he was unsure he could trust her to be calm, Terry released her arms. Blood rushing back to the extremities only intestified the pain and she winced in response.

It was only when she was past the majority of the pain did she notice the small gathering of people in the confined bathroom standing there with them. Two teachers were looking over the three girls she had thrown against the stalls earlier. Another teacher, along with Nelson and few of his friends were sitting by Chelsea and Blade. Dana had the nurse and principal huddled next to her. The gym teacher was in the doorway, trying to block the students trying to press in for a closer look from getting in. Max and Jared's faces were at the front of the crowd looking at Lisa with concern and something close to fear. It was then Lisa realized that Max's fear was not from what the teachers would do. It more directed to the figure stading behind her.

Lisa turned slowly around to face him. Terry's nostrils were flared with anger. His normally smooth face was contorted into a scowl. Pupil's dilated and jaw taught, for the first time, Lisa could see the dangerous side of Terry that had Max so scared. He was truly frightening like this. Another fact registered in her mind, dominating all other thoughts. He wasn't looking at her. He was glaring in the direction of Dana and her friends. Maybe he wasn't so angry with her after all.

That thought vanished the instant his eyes locked with hers. The scorching fire raging under the depths of the baby blue was enough to ignite a pire around her. She felt like a woman being burned at the stake under his gaze. His eyes flashed then. Without unlocking his teeth and moving only his lips, he hissed at her so only she could hear.

"What happened?" It wasn't a question so much as an accusation. A demand. He wasn't the smiling guy that had kissed her before. He was Batman. The fear must have shown very plainly on her face because his expression eased up a little but he didn't unlock his jaw. The set of his shoulders didn't relax and his fists were balled up on either side of him. She knew better than to provoke him right now. She kept her answer simple and to the point.

"Dana and her friends ganged up on me," she spoke quickly, not wanting to stall. "I did provoke Dana a little with my sarcasm but as soon as she struck, I fought back. I probably used too much force in my defense but they were all attacking at once. I just reacted." She finished her lame explination. It was clear from his expression that was not past his anger so she didn't dare speak.

"Is that so, miss Wayne?" Another voice called from behind her. The principal stood next to Dana and the nurse. Dana shot her a smug smile when the nurse's attention was diverted then covered her face in her hands and started to bawl. Or pretend to.

"That's a lie!" She wailed. "Lisa walked into here when my friends and I were freshing up at the sinks and attacked us for no reason!" Lisa ground her teeth together but the fresh attack wasn't over. The other girls that were awake started to agree and cry right along with Dana.

"She's right!"  
"Yeah! We didn't do anything to her!"  
"She just started throwing punches!"

"You see?" Dana called up to the principal, who turned to look down at Dana. By his expression, he was won over by the tears that were coming more from the broken nose than actual distress. It was obvious he would side with Dana. Lisa could feel the anger boiling again but fought to keep her composure. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a curt voice.

"That's bullshit and you know it, Dana," Terry growled. His eyes were narrowed and he never relaxed his posture. Everyone in the room shut up. They stared up at Terry's expression. No one was going to speak when he looked so close to hurting someone. Even the principal was wary. Lisa had never seen anything like it. He spoke again, choosing his words carefully.

"I told you this morning that I wouldn't take you back. That I wanted Lisa, not you." He ground out the last two words with so much force that he stiffened even more than seemed humanly possible. He continued without any help.

"You told me, as I was walking away, that she wouldn't be so pretty the next time I saw her. You threatened her right in front of me!" He was shouting now. Even the tough Nelson and his coach were cringing away from him. "I would have reported you to the principal," continued, not seeming to notice the reaction, "but I was called away by Mr. Wayne. If I didn't think Lisa could take you, I wouldn't have left her here." The principal looked between Dana and Terry for a few minutes, torn between believing a crying girl and the force of Terry's words. His eyes finally settled on Lisa.

"Is this what happened, miss Wayne?" He seemed uneasy. Lisa took a steadying breath before she looked straight at the principal, meeting his eyes evenly.

"Yes," she answered simply. But the truth was there behind her words. "I got a little carried away defending myself," she continued, "But that doesn't change what happened."

The principal nodded mutely. He took a step away from Dana and told the teachers to get all of the students back to their classes. He looked at every girl except Dana and Lisa, telling them to go to the nurse's office and wait there. He turned to the nurse, without so much as a glance in Dana's direction and asked her to clean up Dana and Lisa as best she could. Then he looked at Dana, then Lisa.

"You two are to report to my office as soon as Mrs. Kelp is done with you." He shot a look of disapproval at Dana. The look he gave Lisa was almost apologetic. Almost.

"Miss Wayne, though I understand you were defending yourself, fighting is against school rules. I am going to have to punish you too." Lisa nodded then glanced at Terry. He was a little calmer but clearly not over his earlier bout of anger. He didn't look at any of them as the principal strode out of the room. It wasn't until Mrs. Kelp took Dana from the room that he relaxed a little. He blew out a breath that Lisa just realized he was holding, then slowly turned to look at her. His expression was unreadable but there was no obvious anger in it anymore. His eyes softened a little as he took a step toward her. He cupped her right cheek gently and ran his thumb across the red mark forming from where Dana had slapped her. She winced. His eyebrows knit together.

"Does it hurt?" His voice was gentle. Like a velvet blanket wrapping securely around her. Protecting her while comforting. "A little," she admitted, not being able to stop herself. His hand against her cheek was gently but firm as he forced her to meet his eyes. The softness was not lost to her.

"I'd better get you cleaned up a little. No doubt the principal is calling Bruce right now." Her next wince had nothing to do with the pain of her injuries. _Dad is going to be pissed,_ her mind chided. Terry noticed and laughed. Lisa stared at him, questioning his sanity. He noticed and smiled ruefully.

"Bruce probably won't flip out over that fact that you fought," he explained. "More over the fact that you got hurt. It'll take him a while to work up chastising you for not protecting yourself better." Lisa rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Bruce was like any other father. But once he got past that, he would go right back to the cold intructer.

So intent on her imagination at what Bruce would say, she didn't even notice when Terry had dropped the hand and gone to the sink. It wasn't until somthing cold started dabbing on her left cheek that she even noticed he had moved. He held a damp handkerchief in one hand and was focused on cleaning her cut. His body pressed so closely to hers that he bumped right into her injured elbow. A silent cuss and she was clutching the injury. Terry froze and stared at her arm before he took off his jacket and made a makeshift sling for her. His fingers were gently and careful not to cause her anymore pain. His hands were tying the sleeves behind her neck when he smiled playfully.

"Oh yeah, you definately need more training."

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In another place, a tall man with broad shoulders stepped out from the busy airport terminal. A shorter, gray-haired woman following close on his heels. They both paused to take in the sight of a major city's skyline. Light gray buildings woven in patterns like a fortress framed by a blue sky and white puffs of clouds. The woman paused for only a moment before looking down the string of cars to the first cab. She gently tugged the sleeve of the man standing beside her before gesturing toward the cab.

"Let's go," she said before turning to walk away. He stared after a moment before looking back at the vast city. His eyes settled on the tallest building, the logo of the company in the distance forced a smile out of him that was neither joyful nor humorous.

"This is not your home."


	8. Pain

Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or it's characters.

Shorter chapter but I hope you all are still satisfied. A little Bruce OOCness!

Chapter 8: Pain

Bruce raced towards Hamilton Hill High, pushing the car to it's very limit. He'd gotten the call at home just a few moments before.

_'Mister Wayne? This is the principal, Mr. Edwards. Your daughter was involved in a fight at school today and we need you to come collect her.'_

_'May I speak to her?' Pause._

_'I'm afraid Mrs. Kelp, the school nurse, is looking after a few of her injuries at the moment.'_

_'I'm on my way.'_

As he inched the gas pedal down even farther, Bruce's imagination ran way with him. He imagined finding Lisa unconscious, being strapped into a stretcher behind an ambulance. Blood stained bandages everywhere. Her breathing labored. Brow furrowed in pain. He continued down this horrible path until he pulled into the school parking lot. There was no ambulance in sight. He let go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He parked quickly and ambled from the car, trying to cover the distance between his car and the front doors faster than his aged body would allow.

Terry was waiting for him just inside the door. He was slouching against a wall, staring blankly at some pattern in the tile by his feet. The boy looked up when he heard the unmistakable sound of Bruce's cane as the older man came to his side. Terry's eyes softened and his voice matched the emotion there.

"She's okay." Those two words seemed to be the world to Bruce. He immediately relaxed a little. Terry wasn't very good at lying to Bruce, so he knew the boy was telling the truth. Terry rushed into a quick explination. Dana had cornered Lisa in a bathroom and tried to gang up on her. Lisa held her own. Terry even looked a little sheepish as he said he had to pull Lisa off of Dana when he got there. Then, Terry's eyes hardened slightly, a crease formed between his eyebrows.

"She was hurt, Bruce. I think her arm is broken by the way she craddles it." A red haze seeped into his vision as he spoke.

"Take me to her, _now_."

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"How do you feel?" Lisa looked over at her father from the passenger seat of Bruce's Mercedes. He was still visably upset but there wasn't anything she could do about that part. "Fine," she said simply.

The drugs were keeping the pain in her elbow at bay. Bruce had met her at the school after receiving the news. Terry gave him a simple report, though he didn't know the details, and was sent back to class. Bruce had driven her to a trusted friend and doctor whom attended to all of Lisa's injuries. Her face wasn't as cut up as she had thought. Dana's nails only managed a few cuts closer to her ear and a smaller one on her scalp. The pain came more from the force behind it. There would be a bruise in the shape of Chelsea's stilettos on the small of her back from where the girl had kicked her though. And her arm wasn't in very good shape.

Her humorous was cracked. The split started at her elbow and went up only a centimeter or two. Still, she would have the bandages and cast on as a precaution for at least a month. No training or strain was to be applied to that arm, according to the doctor. Trouble is: He said it in front of her dad. That translated in his mind into: No more training for a while and most definately, no Bat stuff. It was bad enough that he made her recount the incident for him word for word, thought for thought, gritting his teeth the whole time. Now, he had even more fuel for the fire. Bruce's deep voice broke through her stillness.

"The drugs will wear off by tonight. That won't make sleeping fun."

Lisa had no reply. She continued to stare broodily out the window as the streets of Gotham quietly melded into foliage, signaling that home was near. Lisa just wanted to get out of the car as fast as she could before the berating could start. She wanted to at least compose herself; wait until her emotions weren't so raw. Bruce pulled into the garage and cut the engine. 'More like a car museum,' she thought bitterly, staring at the numerous vehicles that would never again move over pavement. 'Such a waste,' her mind quipped before she moved to get the door. Bruce was already there, holding open the door. He moved fast for an old man.

They entered the house through the laundry room in the same silence and were greeted by Ace. The dog sniffed at Lisa's bandaged arm and whined. She smiled softly before reaching down with her good arm and to console the animal. Her whole body followed without any command from her mind. She was face to face with the enormous dog for a minute. Then, slowly, Ace walked forward and put his massive head on her shoulder with a paw hooking around her good arm. The gesture was almost too much as traitor tears fell from her face. She clung to the dog, hugging him back fiercly, burying her nose into the course fur of his neck. A gentle hand on her shoulder made her once again aware of her father's presence. She sniffled and moved away from Ace wiping the tears away before patting the dog between the ears and murmuring, "I'm okay, boy."

The hand on her shoulder disappeared and she watched with some relief as Bruce strode from the room, not seeming to want to ruin the little scene. Lisa made herself as comfortable as possible on the floor by the door. Ace laid across her lap and she stroked him absently, letting her mind go blissfully blank. She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the wall, drifting.

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Bruce sat in the living room and stared at the flames still licking at the unmarred wood from the fire he burned out of habit now. Watching the flames was usually soothing to him. Not this time. Thinking of what his daughter had told him about the fight made him uncomfortable. Seeing her injured had made him want to lash out at the teenage girls that had dared touch his daughter. He wanted to inflict as much damage as possible to Dana especially. Not something he would normally do. The anger was not directed towards his daughter but he'd been unable to shake it even when it was just the two of them in the car.

All of that had vanished with the little scene he witnessed just now between her and Ace. Another emotion he was unfamiliar with swelled up like a balloon inside of him before he forced himself to walk away. Only now, a safe distance from his two guests, was he able to place it. Jealosy. He was jealous that his dog was able to express what he couldn't. Ace was so much like himself. Reserved and quiet. Distant from others. Wary of newcomers and untrusting of many. And, like himself, seemed to have a sense when there was somebody dangerous he was faced with. Now, his DOG, was able to just push all of that aside and comfort Lisa. Something that should have been Bruce's job and his first instict.

Now, a new emotion filled Bruce. One he knew all too well. Pain. Knowing what he had become, he still couldn't force himself back to his daughter and speak the words that would inevitably free her from feeling guilt and pain herself. He couldn't just wrap his arms around the young girl and tell her how much he loved her and that it wasn't her fault. He couldn't tell her how proud he was that she'd been able to handle so many attackers at once. He would never say how much her physical wounds wounded him. How he wished he were a younger man so that he could protect her like a father should. The pain went past the point of unbearable. It swallowed him like the sea parting to claim him in his despair. He hadn't felt pain like this since his parents were murdered, so many years ago.

It wasn't until he brushed his hand across his face as he went to sweep his hair back that he felt the moisture. He stared at the wet droplets in his wrinkled palm. Stunned, he realized he was crying. The knowledge forced more tears out and he had to hide his face, though there was no one in the room to witness. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. His daughter. His life. His flesh and blood. And still he couldn't move. Still, he couldn't comfort. _'I'm alone,'_ he thought bitterly. Barbara was right. He WAS alone. Even with Terry and Lisa and even Ace in his life, he was alone. Because he made it that way. Sobs racked his aged body and this time he didn't fight them. For the first time in almost 70 years, he let himself cry.


	9. Go To Her

Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond...blah blah blah....yadda yadda....

On with the story!

Warning!: Bruce OOC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 9: Go To Her!!!!!!!

"I can't believe Dana would do that to Lisa!" Max exclaimed when she, Terry and Jared entered her family's apartment after school.

Terry nodded solemnly, his mind elsewhere. For the first time, Terry had seen the old man panicked. Bruce truly looked like he was about to have a heart attack until Terry had reassured him that Lisa was okay. Bruce had relaxed at the news and led him to the girl but then Bruce turned back into the over-protective father and insisted that Lisa be given medical attention. Not that Terry blamed him. He was brought out of his revere when a hand was waved in front of his face.

"You okay, Terry?" Jared asked. Terry blink for a moment before responding.

"Yeah." Max and Jared exchanged a look. The pierced boy leveled Terry with a knowing look.

"You're worried about Lisa fending for herself with the old man, aren't you?" Terry scoffed.

"No," he started. "Actually, I was thinking this might move things forward between Lisa and Bruce." Two pairs of eyes questioned his sanity as each lifted and eyebrow. Terry hated that look. _'I get enough of that from the old man,'_ he thought sarcastically.

"Have you lost your mind, Terry" Max asked.

"No. Why? Think I'm crazy?" Terry cocked his head to the side and smirked. He knew it annoyed Max when he did that. True enough, Max sighed and knitted her brow together. Jared gave him a woeful look that clearly said, "Please don't go there!"

"Unless you explain how your ex and her friends jumping the girl you're now interested in would improve things between Lisa and the old geezer, then yeah, I think you're crazy!" Terry chuckled and waited just long enough to annoy Max before turning serious.

"You didn't see him, Max. The old man doesn't panic. I've heard him get upset and worry when I screw up. I've seen the glances he was shooting at Lisa anytime she was about to go to work or just before her first day back at school after he found out the truth. He worried like any parent should but he usually covers it up. Even in front of her." Terry took a long breath before continuing.

"He was panicked, Max. He looked like his whole world would come crashing down if she had not been able to defend herself. And it probably would have. For the first time, in a long time, he has family. He's afraid of losing her. Why do you think he and Lisa have gotten into a lot of arguments over whether or not she can be Batgirl? He doesn't want to see her out there, risking her life. She's all he's got now. He's not going to let go of her so easily."

Max and Jared both looked down in thought and understanding. Terry glanced out the window. Hopefully, Bruce would tell her what he was thinking about the whole situation. And if not, then Terry hoped Lisa would be able to pick up on the emotions going through Bruce and see just how much he cared about her.

"Terry," Jared started slowly. He hesitated for a moment, biting his lip before looking up into Terry's eyes. There was something the boy wanted to say but didn't know how to word.

"Lisa...doesn't have a strong sense of family either. She thinks that compared to the situation I was in,(Max winced) that she had it easy. What she doesn't realize is that emotional scars, though they are not visible, are what we carry with us through everything."

Jared looked down at his hands. His palms were opened face up before he curled both of them into balls, digging his nails into his flesh. Max put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Terry was tempted to look away from the intimate scene but Jared drew his attention once again.

"I don't think Lisa will be able to see that side of the old guy. She can't read his mind, Terry. He's got to open up to the girl. He has to make the effort to know her feelings and express his own. She comes from a cold family, Terry. She was never told she was loved and never shown any emotion but cruelty and hate. Those are the only things she knows. If he remains distant, that's all she's going to feel from him even if he loves her half as much as you say."

Terry stared wide-eyed at his two friends before him. Jared was right. Jared had known Lisa for a long time and if this was not an opportunity for things to move forward, then all that would end up happening is Lisa would get pushed farther and farther away until she ran. Bruce was not the type of person to just open up and be honest. If anything, he would become even more distant in order to not hurt the girl. But, he would end up just hurting her even more.

Sensing his inner turmoil, Max walked up to Terry and placed both of her hands on his arms. He looked at the face of his most trusted friend. "Go to her," was all she had to say before Terry hitched up his backpack further on his shoulder and ran for the door. No matter how fast he ran, he could be too late.

* * *

Half an hour later, Terry was running up the front steps to Wayne Manor and pushing open the door. There was no sound in the house and that scared him. He dropped his bag as a way of alerting Bruce to his presence, as was usual. He strode through the hall and into the main sitting room and found Bruce hunched in his chair, face in his hands. Panic coursed through Terry as his closed the distance between him and the broken man in a few strides. Terry kneeled at Bruce's feet and was reaching for him when Bruce spoke.

"Laundry room," was all he said but his tone just scared Terry even more. His voice sounded heavy and rough. Thick with emotions that Terry couldn't place.

He wasted no time. Terry got up and went searching for Lisa. He practically broke into a dead run for the laundry room. It was there he found Lisa. Ace was facing away from him, his massive head and paws laid on Lisa's leg but the dog looked around when he entered. Lisa was asleep. Terry knelt down opposite Ace and examined Lisa's face. There were stains on her cheeks where she had obviously been crying. _'Crying over what is the question.'_

"Move mutt," Terry commanded. Ace growled as he stood and placed both of his paws protectively over Lisa's legs. _'Protective much?'_

"Ace, I'm just going to carry her upstairs," Terry placated the animal. Ace growled once then backed off. Terry went around to the side Ace had occupied, scooping Lisa as he went, and carried her upstairs. After placing her in bed, Terry stood there a moment before heading back down stairs to check on Bruce.

He found him in the same spot where he had found the man. Bruce was sitting upright but his face was hidden as the chair was facing the fire. Terry walked over to Bruce slowly, trying not to pry but at the same time not wanting to be too far. He almost made it to the chair when Bruce spoke.

"I'm sending Lisa away." Terry froze. He was numb. No feeling at all.

"Why?" He managed. His voice was soft and cracked a little when he spoke.

"I'm obviously not doing her any good here. She's better off away from this mess." Terry took a hesitant step forward.

"Bruce, give it some time. It hasn't even been two months since you met her. You both just need time to adjust to each other." The man didn't even move as he spoke into the flames.

"I'm turning her into me. I'm going to end up pushing her away like I did all the others." Terry shook his head defiantly even though the old man couldn't see it.

"You're wrong. She's tougher than that. If she didn't prove that to you today, then you're blind."

There was a long pause. A heavy silence fell between the two Batmen broken only by the crackling of the fire. Bruce spoke softly. It was so quiet that if Terry had gone through the bat training, he would have missed it.

"He comforted her." Terry furrowed his brow in confusion. "Who?" he asked.

"Ace," Bruce said as he slumped forward and buried his face in his hands once again. Terry still didn't quite understand and was about to ask him to clarify when Bruce spoke again.

"Ace...when we came home after visiting the doctor, Ace comforted Lisa. She was down on his level when Ace laid his head on Lisa's shoulder, wrapped a paw around her good arm and gave her a hug." Bruce paused and to Terry, it sounded like he hiccuped like he was holding back tears. His voice was thick, throat obviously tight with those silent tears when he continued.

"She opened up to Ace. She cried. Broke down. My **DOG** was able to comfort her when that should have been my first instinct. He did what I couldn't. What I still can't....even though I know she's in pain and most definately uncertain about my love for her I-...*_hiccup_*...I still can't go to her. I can't even hold her. I'm pushing her away. Better to send her away now before she becomes too much more attached than to wait until later when it'll only hurt her more."

Terry stood frozen in place, watching the man he admired age 50 years. He had never heard nor seen the old man this desperate. He was a broken man. Terry was seeing what Bruce must have looked like after the death of his parents. Broken. Helpless. And that pissed him off. He balled up his fists and strode the last few feet to Bruce's chair and turned to face him. Bruce looked up at the boy but Terry didn't even see the tear stains on the wrinkled cheeks before he swung. His fist collided with Bruce's left cheek. After years of being Batman, Bruce barely had to turn his head at the force behind the punch.

Bruce looked up at Terry, wide-eyed and confused. Terry looked way way beyond pissed. Bruce now knew what criminals must have seen when looking at him as Batman. Terry was dangerous. His posture was rigid and his face contorted with anger. The tone in Terry's voice was easily recognizable. Bruce himself had used it many times when interrogating criminals. Batman.

"Are you an idiot?!" Terry growled. Bruce opened and closed his mouth stupidly. For once he was at a loss for words.

"She's already attached! Sending her away now isn't going to solve anything! She's just going to end up hating you even more especially if the only reason you're doing it is because **YOU** can't tell her you love her!" Terry was breathing hard. His nostrils flared. Bruce frowned, soaking up Terry's words.

"You need to get past the fact that she's Selina's kid. She's more like you than you seem to realize. For once in your life, open your eyes and actually **SEE** the people around you. The people you say mean alot to you. For once in your life, **DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF**!!!!"

"You think everything I've done is for myself?" Bruce's scowl matched his tone. Terry scoffed.

"You think I'm stupid?" Terry asked before laughing humorlessly. "Everything you've done has been for you, Bruce."

"Has not," Bruce ground out. If he tried to say more he may have struck the kid. Terry noticed this and smirked evily.

"Of course it has, Bruce. Would you like me to break it down for you?" Bruce nodded, afraid to speak.

"Here it goes," Terry began, shifting from one foot to the other. It wasn't a nervous or twitchy movement. Aggitated was more like it. "You became Batman to seek revenge against evil doers for what was done to **YOUR** family. You built up your company so **YOU** would never have to worry about financing your obsession. You let Dick, Barbara and Tim into your little secret because you thought **YOU** could use the help. You pushed them all away because **YOU** couldn't deal with them. You pushed away every woman you ever cared about away because **YOU** couldn't let them in. You let me into this gig because **YOU** wanted to relive the old days and protect Gotham again, even if that meant it was through someone else. You are trying to push Lisa off to someone else because **YOU** can't deal with **YOUR** emotions." Terry took a deep breath before asking, "Did I miss anything?"

Bruce sat there. Thoughts and emotions were coursing through him. The denials he had been waiting to dish out the the younger man were caught somewhere in his throat. The arguement was lost. Terry was right. It was all for himself. As much as he hated to admit it, the kid was right. Lisa needed him and he was abandoning her for his own selfish reasons. She would end up hating him and he would have no one to blame but himself. He didn't want that. He wanted to be able to do what he should have done from the moment Lisa set foot in this house. Love her openly as his daughter. Trust her to do the right thing. Help her through difficulty and conflict. Support her when she needed someone to lean on.

The problem was he didn't know how. He'd spent his life devoted to one cause only. Being Batman. He had pushed away everyone and never let anyone in. He was afraid to let anyone in and end up losing them. It would only cause him more pain. But now, he saw that by pushing everyone away, he wasn't lessening his own pain. He was adding to it. That was evident in his earlier realization and breakdown before Terry came here. Bruce looked up at Terry like a confused child asking their parent for help.

"What do I do?" Terry relaxed a little. He took one calming breath before answering.

"Go to her," he stated simlply. Bruce would figure out what to do from there.

Nodding, Bruce stood and left the room. Terry watched him leave. He stood strong there for a minute before he let himself collapse on the floor in front of the chair. Even sitting, his legs were shaking. Terry ran a hand accross his face, wiping away the sweat that had formed shortly after Bruce's departure. If he had things his way....."You'll never know how hard that was for me to say, Bruce."

* * *

Lisa felt strong fingers caressing her hair from somewhere in the distance. It was so close yet so far. There was a little pressure by her right leg, like something was pressed against her from the hip down. The fingers found their way into her hair, running through the strands in a soft, gentle motion. It felt so good. She was about to drift further into her sleep world when she heard a deep, rumbling voice calling her into consciousness. She resisted until she recognized the voice of her father.

She opened her eyes slowly to be greeted by the soft colors of the canopy on her bed. She turned to the right to find Ace leaning against her right thigh. The stroking motion through her hair and his voice called her attention back on her father. She turned to face him only to be shocked into full alert mode. Were those tears on his face?

"Dad?" She asked hesitantly, not sure if she was really awake or still dreaming. Bruce sat on the vanity chair that he had obviously pulled over. There were tears in his eyes and he was staring at her with an expression she wasn't used to seeing on his aged face. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek which he leaned into before reaching forward and enveloping her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Lisa," he whispered into her hair. His hold on her tightened but not uncomfortably. Confused, she wrapped her arms around him, placing her hands on his back.

"I'm sorry, my daughter," he said. Calling her that choked her up a little. "I should never have been so distant. Please, forgive me." Lisa closed her eyes and smiled. Tears leaked out from her closed lids and she held him tighter, matching his bear hug. "Of course," she said. They stayed like that a while before Bruce pulled back to look at her face. His baby blues, reflected in her eyes, locked onto her face as he ran a hand lovingly down the back of her head.

"I....I don't know how to do this, Lisa. This is all still new to me. Please, if I seem cold and distant, don't take it to heart. It's not you. I've just never really let anyone in in a long time. I promise to try harder to show you how much you mean to me. I'm not saying it will be easy but I'll give it my best shot."

Lisa could do nothing but nod. She pulled his face into her lap, covering his hair with both of her hands and resting her face on his head. She moved one hand to his back and rubbed it comfortingly. She had never felt so loved as this moment. She doubted this would be the last time she felt that either. A movement from her doorway caught her attention and she looked up to see Terry leaning casually against the frame, watching the little scene. His eyes were on Bruce but he felt her gaze and looked up to meet her eyes. Lisa smiled and mouthed the words, "Thank you." No doubt this was his doing. The cocky smirk that grazed his features was muted by the pool of emotion swirling in his eyes. She curled right back into her dad and didn't see him mouth back to her, "Anytime."


	10. author's note

Author's Note:

HELP! I had a great plot and whatever for this story but it's been **too long**! I can't remember what it was I was going to do. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Leave it in a review or PM me.

LadyBadLuck


	11. Family Madder

Gotham's Hate Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Beyond or it's characters.

A/N: Props go out to Who Are You What Do You Want for the idea. Thanks a million! Thank you to all of my loyal readers whom haven't given up on me yet! Sorry but the timeline may seem a little confusing. Most of these events are taking place simultaneously.

Chapter 10: Family Madder

_'Breath...just breath'_

She took a deep breath. It was mid-october and the winter chill was just starting to set in in Gotham. A woman stood outside an extravagent gate staring up at the mansion within it. Her blue dress swayed as another cool gust of wind bit through her dark jacket. She crossed her arms to protect herself from the bitter cold.

_'Now or never'_ she thought. _'One way or another, this ends today.'_

* * *

Terry glanced over again at Lisa who was sitting two rows over. Her black hair blocked her face from view but by the slump of her shoulders, he could tell she was bored. Terry smirked at this though that smirk quickly vanished. Something was telling him this wasn't going to be a good day.

He sighed. With all of this worrying, he was having trouble paying attention the one day he actually **was** in class. But he couldn't just ignore his bat insticts. He'd learned to trust them after all of the training Bruce put him through.

He and the old man had been on full alert since the Dana incident two weeks ago. Lisa was now not allowed anywhere alone. Her little freedom in the school was revoked temporarily until her elbow was completely healed.

Terry felt eyes on him and looked back in Lisa's direction. She was now giving him a mix between a questioning gaze and an exhasperated glare. When he smiled and shook his head, she pointed at him then at the teacher. The meaning was clear. "Pay Attention." Another sigh and he turned back to Mr. blah. _'I hope my insticts are wrong.'_

_

* * *

_

The front of Hamilton Hill High was just like any other school this man had seen. It was a cross between institutional and college campus. He set his broad shoulders and walked briskly to the entrance. _'I may have failed once but I will not fail again.'_

_

* * *

_

The woman at the gate finally rang the intercom just as a massive black dog jumped at the gate and barked viciously at her. She started for a moment but then glared at the animal. _'Mangy beasts,'_ she thought.

"What do you want?"

"Leave it to you to get a dog," she stated simply, rolling her eyes. A stunned silence followed for a few moments before the gate swung open to admit her. The dog followed her up to the house maintaining a low growl.

The mansion looked the same way it always had except for the air of unkeep. It was obvious that someone had attempted to clean up the yard but hadn't even broken decent ground yet. As she was eyeing the cobwebs, the door swung open to reveal a man she didn't truly recognise anymore. His baby blues now fixed on her in a suspicious and carefully guarded stare. She shrugged it off as he stepped aside to let her pass. He growled out her name,

"Selina."

* * *

"What the hell is up with you, Terry?" Lisa leveled him with a Bruce/Bat glare.

_'Jeez, like father like daughter,'_ he thought quickly before answering, "Could you please turn down the glare? You're going to blind me with it!" This brought a small smile to her face before it slipped away. She cocked an eyebrow indicating she was still waiting for his answer as they walked to their next class.

"I just have a bad feeling about today for you. That's all," he sighed turning to look back down the hallway.

He felt her small hand grab his elbow and turned to face her. Her eyes were soft and relaxed. She pulled him into a one-armed hug, standing on her tip toes to reach him. He swiftly brought his hands around her and pulled her tight against him. Closing his eyes he inhaled her sweet scent.

"Nothings going to happen to me. Not with you, Jay-bird and Max looking out for me. Relax. Stop worrying," she said quietly against his neck. Terry nodded before pulling away from her gently. He wouldn't let it drop that easy but he would make an effort to make it look like he had for her sake. A clearing throat caught their attention and the couple looked up to find their teacher standing with her arms crossed, glaring.

"I hate to interupt but you two are late. I'll have to send home a demerit slip home for both of you. Now please get inside so that I may begin the lesson for today."

Terry and Lisa hastily broke apart and entered the class to a chorus of snickering.

* * *

"What brings you here today, Selina?" Bruce ground out.

Selina was now sitting on the sofa opposite him gazing at the portrait of his parents. She turned her green eyes upon him and he saw once again the woman he fell in love with before that wistful look faded into what Lisa must have seen everyday. Disappointment and anger.

"Lisa," she stated simply. Her gaze was leveled with him and her posture never changed but he could still see the anger that was obviously boiling just beneath the surface. _'Something's not right. Play it out.'_

"What about her?"

"I know she's here." Another statement. "I want her back."

Bruce's nostrils flared and his eyes tightened. "You never wanted her to begin with. Why wait until she's practically settled here before trying to take her away?" _'This definately isn't right. This isn't the Selina I know. She always has a plan. Never a straight attack. Always sideways.'_

"She doesn't belong here, Bruce. She belongs with me. You'll just spoil her."

"So, you don't want her back because you love her? This is just because you want to take away everything that is precious to me."

"How could I possibly _**love**_ that child? She's yours," Selina shuddered. A look of disgust crossed her face for a moment. Even Ace growled at her. She leveled him with another stare. "And don't say that she's precious to you. You've known her all of how long? A month? If that?"

Now Bruce was more than aggitated. He was furious. "Lisa is more precious to me than you ever were."

"Can I help you?" The woman sitting behind the front desk asked him.

* * *

The man strode over to the desk and flashed a badge. "Lucian Kyle, Child Protective Services."

The woman behind the front desk stared at the badge a moment before looking up confused. "Is this a joke?"

"No, m'am. I take my job very seriously." The lack of smile on his chisled face accenuated his point. "We received a complaint about one of your students and I am here to follow-up on it. May I speak with her?"

The blond hesitated before Mr. Varner, the principal came up behind her and answered, "Of course, sir. Anything to help. What's the name of the student?"

"Lisa Wayne," he replied coldly.

* * *

Terry sat in class attempting to pay attention to his history lesson but was still a little distracted. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Lisa caught his eye and he hid any trace of his unease as he smiled back easily. She gave him a quick smile before turning her attention back to the teacher.

But the Ms. blah blah was interrupted by the phone on her desk ringing shrilly. Answering it, her face became concerned and she nodded briskly before hanging up. "Ms. Wayne, you are needed in the front office."

Terry turned to face her fully, half rising out of his chair until Lisa shook her head. She walked across the room to the door and gave Terry a reassuring smile mouthing, "the fight" before leaving the class altogether. Terry sat back, hoping it was nothing. _'Something tells me different.'_

He shared a look with Jared and Max both showing his concern. Jared typed something on his computer. Terry got an e-mail a second later that read:

**Wait about 10 - 15 minutes before asking to go to the bathroom. Check on her then.**

**Jay**

Terry nodded in his direction to tell him he understood. He would wait.

* * *

Selina was in full-on pissed off mode with Bruce. He was almost laughing from it but that nagging feeling never left him. He finally had to raise his voice to get her to stop.

"SELINA! This isn't about us. This is about Lisa. Could you just stop with all the antics and tell me why you want her so bad? The real reason this time."

Selina kept glaring at him but eventually stalked over to the window and smacked her hand against the wall. She stood there for almost 10 minutes trying to slow down her breathing before turning to face him with tears welled up in her eyes.

"I love her, Bruce." When Bruce scoffed, she shook her head vigorously and continued. "Think what you want. Yes, I treated her poorly. Yes, I made mistakes. But please, don't misunderstand me. I thought I hated her because she was your daughter. But when she left, there was a hole in my chest. I felt empty without her. Let me take her back and try again. I'm begging you. Give my daughter back to me. Don't let her memory of me be a terrible one!"

Bruce sighed. If she was faking, he couldn't spot it. She had to be one hell of an actress to pull this off. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of how to present his alternate solution. When he couldn't stall any longer he spoke.

"How about you show her you love her by leaving her here?" Selina opened her mouth to protest but Bruce put up a hand.

"I know it's not what you want but think about Lisa. If I let you take her back, she'll hate me. If you try to take her away, she'll hate you. Leave her here. Write a letter that I can give to her when she comes home. Explain how you are feeling and encourage her to contact you. Be open with her. Admit your mistakes and try to show her you can be different. It's the only way I see you getting her back without hurting her more."

Selina paused for a moment. She stared at his parent's portrait once again. _'Maybe she'll buy this.'_ She looked at her watch and for a second Bruce thought he saw a smile. _'Maybe not.'_

_

* * *

_

Lisa was led to a conference room a short ways down from the office. Mr. Varner never said a word the entire way. When she had gotten to the office all he would say was that there was a gentleman here to see her and he had some questions. _'The school wouldn't have let him in if they thought he was a wack job.'_

"This man has a few questions for you. Please give him your full cooperation." Mr. Varner left her standing at the door. Lisa shrugged it off as he walked away and entered the room without a knock.

The conference room was nothing spectacular. It was just a long black table and a few chairs. She spotted an open briefcase at the end opposite the door but no one was there. _'Maybe he went to the bathroom.'_ She walked in a little ways forgetting that the door was open until she heard it shut. She was just about to turn around when a voice spoke, making her blood chill and her heart freeze.

"Hello, Lisa. Mom's very upset."

She was shaking. Lisa was literally shaking with fear and dread. She turned around to face the man whom had injured her shoulder when she left her mother's place. The man was around 6 foot with jet black hair and blue eyes just like hers. Those cold eyes were staring her down and she tried not to show him just how frightened she was.

"Hello, Lucian. Long time no see." Her voice was shaky. Her palms were clammy. Her heart was racing. He stepped forward and her anxiety jumped ten notches.

"You're coming home, Lisa." It wasn't a question. This caused Lisa's anger to flare.

"I **am **home, big brother."

Lucian bared his teeth at her and grabbed her injured elbow. A sharp jolt of pain forced a cry from her lips. But no one would hear that cry as he clamped a hand over her mouth and forced her back onto the conference room's table. Lisa's butt hit the table and she toppled over backwards with Lucian landing on top of her, pinning her to the table and knocking the wind out of her.

"You are coming home with me, Lisa, so help me GOD!" He growled into her ear. She was in so much pain she barely heard him. Tears were welling up in her eyes from the pain until she heard her father's voice in her head.

_**"Put off the pain, Lisa. Get him off you and get away NOW!"**_

Lisa did exactly as she was told. She did a mental calculation and found one of her legs to be free. She repositioned it and struck Lucian as hard as she could in the side with her knee. He flinched from the pain long enough for her to use her uninjured arm to deliver a solid punch to the jaw.

He was off! Lisa sprang from the table and ran to the door. But before she could get it open, her brother yanked her back by her hair. He forced her off balance and lifted her easily before tossing her over the table and into the opposite wall. Dizzy but aware, Lisa quickly tried to regain her equilibrium. She rolled into a crouched position only to find Lucian already poised to pounce, a snarl on his face.

"I'll bring you back home, in **pieces** if I have to!"

* * *

Bruce was really starting to wonder what alterior motive Selina came to his home with. She'd been here most of the morning trying to reason with him about their daughter. However, the detective in him couldn't help but notice that every few minutes she would glance at her watch. At first it was confident. Then it grew worried. Now she was just impassive about it. It was starting to annoy and rouse suspicion at the same time.

"Bruce, are you listening?"

"Nope." He smirked at the scowl on her face. She checked her watch again. _'That is seriously annoying!'_

"Do you have an appointment or a plane to catch?" Selina cocked an eyebrow and looked genuinly confused.

"What do you mean?" Bruce couldn't help but sigh.

"You keep checking your watch. Am I interferring with other plans by not agreeing with you immediately?" He knew the sarcasm would irritate her. He was not disappointed.

"Of course not," she snapped and turned away. Bruce smiled at this.

"Then stop checking your watch. It's getting really annoying." Selina didn't answer right away. _'Maybe I crossed the line,'_ he thought watching her before rolling his eyes. _'Wouldn't be the first time.'_

"You must have been teaching her," Selina finally said. Bruce raised an eyebrow and instantly his 'Bat sense' was in overdrive.

"What do you mean?" He was almost in full detective mode now. She turned to look at him. Blankness. That's all he could think to call the look on her face. Empty. Nothing. No emotion.

"Lisa," she stated impassionatly. His heartrate jumped for a second but he didn't show it.

"And how is my teaching Lisa anything relevant?" She leveled him with that emotionless look before answering.

"Because he should have called by now." Wide-eyes. Ba-bump ba-bump. Sweat. Ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump. Fear. babump babump babump...

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"My son. He was supposed to call by now. She's never been this difficult before. Like I said, you must've been teaching her."

...silence...Ba-bump Ba-bump Ba-bump

"You sent him to the school." The gears in his head were finally turning. "Your son." The pieces were being put together. "He was supposed to grab Lisa while you were here distracting me." _'Good morning, BATMAN.'_

Her cold, cruel smile didn't stop the burning fury in his gut. "Precisely," she answered.

* * *

_'Forty minutes. She's already been gone forty minutes and the teacher won't let me out to go check on her.'_ Terry thought bitterly.

The teacher had seen right through him and told him to wait until class was over. With every minute that passed, Terry was getting antsier. He'd already asked the teacher 3 times to go to the bathroom but she kept telling him the same thing: wait.

Jared and Max were both glancing at Terry periodically but no number of sympathetic looks could help soothe his anxiety. Other students were starting to notice his knee bouncing impatiently. And the fact he was practically glaring daggers at the teacher between staring at the door and looking back at either Jared or Max wasn't helping his case.

He started tapping his finger repeatedly against the desk, again. He'd already been told by other students to knock it off. He would stop but not until he shot them a death glare. They usually turned away pretty quickly. Terry saw the teacher sigh and look at the hand that was doing the tapping before going back to the lesson. _'Good. I hope it annoys her enough to send me out of class.'_

_

* * *

_

Bruce was up and out of his chair faster than he had been in years. He was rushing for the phone when Selina blocked his path. He turned around and headed for the garage. He was almost to his keys when a slender hand grabbed them first.

"You really think I'd let you out of here that easily?" She was toying with him again. Like she used to when she was in the catsuit. "We both may be old but I'm still in better shape than you."

"I don't need to be in good shape to beat you this time, Cat," he growled. Selina gave him a curious look. Bruce smiled before looking back at Ace, now on his feet. Shock and fear flicked across her face when Bruce said, "Get her, boy."

Ace braced to pounce, a vicious growl ripping through him. Selina dropped the keys and took off for the door. Ace followed her barking all the way. Bruce picked up the keys and then the phone.

* * *

"Don't keep resisting, sis. You're only prolonging the inevitable."

Lisa scoffed at his remark. Lucian was breathing harder than she was and Lisa was probably in more pain than him. After the initial throw, he had gotten in a couple of good kicks (more than likely bruising if not breaking her ribs in the process), one good punch (hence the bloody lip), and another throw though not as powerful.

She'd landed twice as many kicks and punches but he barely looked put out. His left eye was bruised looking and his shoulder seemed jammed up but no other marks on him. Even his clothes looked barely ruffled. _**'Up the stakes, Lisa.'**_ Her father's voice commanded.

But Lucian didn't give her time to get her strength together as he lunged at her again. She braced her good arm in front to block but he anticipated that. He knocked her good arm out of the way and landed another punch, this time to her temple. Lisa was seeing stars and didn't see the kick until it was too late. It connected with her jaw and snapped her head around.

Lucian threw his full body weight into her back and pinned her face first against the wall. He twisted her injured arm around her back, applying pressure until she heard then felt it snap. Lisa couldn't help but scream bloody murder then. She couldn't see, the pain was so blinding.

"How could you do this, Lisa?" His voice seemed to come from far away but she knew he was shouting at her.

Lisa did the only thing she could do. She prayed it would work. Reaching a leg back as far as she could, she swung it as hard as she could muster into the back of his knee. His leg gave out and she kicked off from the wall to give her enough leverage. They both slammed back into the table, this time with him underneath her. Lisa got up, one arm dangling limply at her side.

The phone that had been on the table when the fight started was now laying on the floor. She picked it up and jumped onto her brother pinning him back against the table before he could even get up. She brought it high and smashed it into his face. Pure rage and adrenaline was all that was driving her now as she swung the phone back and forth knocking his head from one side to the other. She was screaming, roaring like a wild animal.

* * *

"Get to Lisa, **NOW!**" That was all Terry got when he answered his cell phone in the middle of class. The teacher was giving him a disgusted look but Terry just barely registered that before he was out of his seat and sprinting to the door. Nelson was blocking it and Terry about knocked him out of the way when Max called to him.

"What's going on, Terry?" Terry turned around to face his best friend as well as the rest of the class. The emotions displayed on his face were a cross between anger, anxiety and fear. Before he could answer, his blood went cold when a piercing feminine scream of pain reached the class. Fear and dread dropped like a lead weight to his gut and he was out the door, flying down the hallway.

He was vaguely aware there was someone following him. He distantly heard Bruce's voice coming from the still answered call. The hallways were quiet for a moment before he heard a man yelling. Then everything was quiet again. Terry stopped dead at a crossroad of hallways. Jared came up by his side. They shared a terrified look before taking turns to look down hallways desperately, not really sure where they were yet.

Then, a sound like a wild animal's roar filled the halls. People were coming out of classrooms to look. Max showed up a few seconds later. It took Terry almost a full two minutes before he realized that it wasn't an animal but a woman.

"Lisa," he breathed and followed the sounds of her yelling.

"LISA!" He called as he was nearing the office. Bruce was still yelling at him through the phone.

"Terry! What the hell is going on? Where is she?" Terry brought the phone to his ear.

"I don't know ye-" Terry cut off when he realized he'd found the room with the screaming.

Terry threw open the door to the conference room and found Lisa. She was bashing a phone across a man's face, roaring with rage. They were on top of the table in the conference room that looked like it had been torn all to hell. _'How did nobody hear this?'_

"Lisa," he called. She didn't hear him.

"LISA!" She looked up, her arm raised above her head, ready to swing again. Her face was a mess. Blood seemed to be coming from everywhere. Her previously injured arm was now hanging useless at her side. There were tear streaks on her face but there were no tears now.

"Lisa," Terry called soothingly. "It's okay now. Everything's going to be okay."

"Holy shit," Jared said from somewhere behind him. Max just gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth.

Terry crawled across the table to her. The man was laying face up. There was blood everywhere. He almost didn't have a face left. "Give me the phone, sweetie." He was trying to keep his voice as soothing as possible. He maintained eye contact with her, afraid to break it. She was breathing quick and shallow.

"Give me the phone. That's it," he said when she allowed him to grab the phone from her. He passed it back and someone grabbed it. He put a hand on her uninjured shoulder and she flinched for a second. Her whole body was tensed as if waiting for another attack while she stared down and the bloody mess that was the man she had been tenderizing.

"Lisa," he called softly again. She looked at him again. She seemed to want to cry again as her face contorted with pain but no tears were flowing. "Terry," she whispered in a scratchy voice before dropping completely into his waiting arms. He wrapped one arm carefully around her shoulders. But when he attempted to put an arm around her ribs she cried out in pain.

Terry pulled back a minute before pushing his arm between her and the man on the table. With that arm behind her knees he swept her up into a cradle and scootched back across the table to the door. He would let someone else deal with the guy. He carried her out of the conference room and set her down gently against the wall and floor opposite. Terry tried not to jostle her too much but every move he made seemed to cause her pain.

"Lisa, tell me where it hurts."

"Everywhere," she whispered again in that scratchy voice. A slew of people were now gathering. She looked around dumbly at all the faces but Terry thoguht she didn't really see any of them. He began to check her over when Max tapped him on the shoulder. She handed over his cell phone that he hadn't realized she took with a simple, "He's on his way."

Terry nodded his understanding before concentrating on Lisa's injuries again. Her arm seemed to be the worst of it. She had a cut on her forhead and a fat lip. Terry turned her head to the other side and inhaled sharply. Blood was seeping out of one of her ears and that pupil was blown. He tried not to look panicked as he moved to lift her shirt. There were black and blue bruises already forming across the right half of her ribs. It explained the shallow breathing. Everything else seemed to be fine but she needed medical attention immediately.

"Terry," a gruff voice spoke from the crowd that he recognised immediately. Even Lisa looked up at the voice though she still looked out of it.

"Bruce, she needs a hospital." Bruce's face contorted with pain as he nodded. "I already called as soon as Max and I hung up. Barbara is on her way too."

Terry nodded his understanding. Mr. Varner and other teachers were trying to heard the students back to class. The school nurse was in the conference room attempting to clean up the man Lisa had beaten half to death. Barbara showed up a moment later looking grave and put a reassuring arm around Bruce. They could hear the sirens from the ambulance when there was a sharp intake of breath. Terry, Max, Bruce and Barbara looked up at Jared who was staring wide-eyed into the conference room. He looked back at them fearfully.

"That's Lucian Kyle," he said. When everyone but Bruce looked confused he went on to explain, "Lisa' older brother."

The man in question was coming around, which was surprising. Barbara stalked over to the room to assist the nurse in getting the man up, though she looked pretty pissed. The man had cuts going across every angle of his face. Bruises were forming everywhere. Bruce knelt down to put an arm around Lisa and the man hobbled out of the conference room with assistance.

Paramedics came in and tried to assist Lisa on to the stretcher but she refused to be touched until Bruce and Terry both helped her onto it. Mostly Terry. Barbara called in another ambulance to take Lucian. While they waited, Terry explained her injuries to the paramedics while Bruce stroked Lisa's hand lovingly. Lucian glared daggers at them both. When he spoke, it sounded like his nose was broken (which it probably was) and that his mouth was full of blood (also very likely).

"How could you, Lisa? How could you just run off to live with _your_ **father**?" Bruce glared at him. The paramedics were just starting to wheel her out. Lisa still looked like she was in a transe when she answered him.

"He's your father, too."


	12. Another Author's Note

**ATTENTION READERS!**

**URGENT UPDATE!**

**As of November 18****th****:**

**All stories except ****Gotham's Hate Child**** will be deleted.**

My apologies to my fans but I will be removing all of my stories to make way for a new story and to update the above mentioned story. Sorry but I have either lost interest in the story itself, lost interest in the series or have forgotten where the story was supposed to be going.

If anyone would like to continue these stories or change these stories, then please PM me. I will send you copies of the stories for you to work on. 

Thank you all for the support through the years but it is time I moved on to other series that have caught my interest.

LadyBadLuck

For Gotham's Hate Child:

_This story is officially on hiatus. I will be finishing this story and then posting chapters on a schedule once all chapters have been typed and edited. Thank you for your support and I will be updating ASAP.  
_


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